Apparatus for timing assembly in corn cutting machines



Feb. 18, 1958 P. N. swEETMAN 2,823,914

APPARATUS FOR TTMING ASSEMBLY 1N com CUTTING MACHINES Filed sept. 14.1953

/NVEHroR PAUL. N. SWEETMAN A-rvonnav United States Patent APPARATUS FOR TIMING ASSEMBLY IN CORN CUTTING MACHINES Paul N. Sweetman, Two Rivers, Wis., assignor to Schultz- Sweetman, Inc., Two Rivers, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application September 14, 1953, Serial No. 379,829

Claims. (Cl. 267-1) This invention relates to machines for cutting whole corn kernels from the cob. This invention relates to the type of corn cutting machine disclosed in Cover Patent Number 2,332,894 and particularly to an improved trip bracket and associated parts. The trip bracket is employed in the timing mechanism which causes the corn ear clamping devices to dwell in the open position for a short period of time, thus allowing the ear to come to rest before the devices clamp the ear in the centered position. Present trip brackets and the bracket shown in said patent fail frequently, on the average of once a day, and require closing down the machine for repair. Since two such brackets are used on each machine each machine is generally shut down twice `a d-ay for repair 4of the bracket. Specifically, the springs fail and must be replaced. However, after a new spring has been placed in the bracket the machine must be manually re-timed, thus making the shut down period appreciable. When xa pack is being run the closing down of the machines becomes an aggravating, costly matter. The magnitude of the repair problem is readily appreciated when it is realized that many canneries have upwards of twenty machines which means upwards of forty shutdowns per day.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a trip bracket assembly for corn cutting machines of the type described which has a much greater life than prior assemblies, thus greatly reducing the frequency of shutdown for repairs.

Another object is to provide a device of the type described in which the replacement of a spring may be effected without changing the timing adjustment, thus avoiding the need for re-timing the machine after repair of the apparatus.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in, or be apparent from, the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the single embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the trip bracket assembly in connection with the reciprocating crosshead and the pivot arm which transmits the motion of the bracket plunger to the corncob grippers. The pivot arm has reached the limit of its movement and the plunger springs are compressed, thus illustrating a dwell portion ofthe operating cycle.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation similar to Fig. 1 and having parts in section to illustrate the construction. in this view the apparatus is about to enter the dwell part of the cycle.

Fig. 3 isa section taken on line 3--3 in Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, when the machine (of the type shown in said Patent No. 2,332,894) is operated crosshead is reciprocated on guide 12 mounted in frame 14. The crosshead mounts a trip bracket on each end. Thus the crosshead is provided with a key 16 which is received in groove 18 in the lower part of bracket 26 yand the ybracket 20 is held thereon by bolts 22, 22 which extend through slot 24 on centers shorter than the slot to allow longitudinal adjustment of the bracket with respect to the crosshead. A similar bracket 26 (dotted lines in Fig. 1) is mounted on the other end of the crosshead in the same manner.

The trip brackets are counterparts and the description thereof will be limited to bracket Ztl shown in full lines in the drawing. Bracket 20 has two separated, upstanding legs 2S, 3u, giving Vthe bracket a general U shape, to support the plunger 32. Thus, leg 30 is bored to support the plunger for reciprocal motion while leg 28 is bored to receive plunger pin 34. Pressure plate 36 is apertured to receive pin 34 and seats against the rear face or shoulder of the plunger and is also apertured to receive guide rods 38, 40 with suiiicient clearance to allow the plate to move freely on the rods. These rods are positionel one above and one below the plunger and its pin Iand take the form of cap screws or bolts passing between legs 28, 30. Springs 42, 44, 46 are mounted on rod 38, pin 34, and rod 40, respectively, and are cornpressed between plate 36 and the face of leg 28. These springs act on the plate to urge the plunger towards the right and movement of the plunger is limited by the adjustment of nut 48 (and lock nut Stb) mounted on the threaded rear end of pin 34. The purpose of this adjustment will appear hereinafter. The plunger may move into leg 30 against the bias of the springs which are cornpressed as the plate is moved to the left `by the plunger.

The plunger acts on roller 52 pivotally mounted on the bifurcated lower end of yoke 54 having arms 56, 53 eX- tending therefrom and fixed on shaft 60. Each arm is provided with a threaded adjusting bolt 62 which threads into the arm and is held in the adjusted position by a lock nut 64. These bolts are adapted to strike the table 66 to limit movement of the yoke as explained more fully hereinafter. As the yoke rocks under inuence of the plungers rocker arm 68, also fixed to shaft 6l), also rocks and `actuates, through mechanism not shown herein but of the type shown in said Patent No. 2,332,894, the cob gripping and centering devices.

The degree to which the cob gripping devices are opened is governed by the adjustment of bolts 62 which limit movement of the yoke under influence of the trip plunger. After the nut strikes the table (as shown in Fig. 2) the grippers are wide open. Continued movement of the crosshead 1G to the right will cause the plunger to cornpress the springs, thus allowing the bracket to overtravel the gripper open position. Until the crosshead has completed this overtravel yand returns to the position in Fig. 2 (in which adjusting nut d8 strikes the rear face of leg 28 and stops movement of the plunger out of the bracket) the grippers will dwell in the open position. This period of dwell allows an ear of corn to be placed between the grippers and to come to rest, thus insuring proper centering of the ear in the grippers. lt will now be appreciated that after yoke adjusting bolts 62 have been set the duration of the dwell may be adjusted by turning nut 48 on the plunger pin. Thus the dwell will be increased if the nut is backed off and Will be decreased by turning the adjusting nut down. The overall timing of the grippers and dwell can be adjusted by moving the bracket relative to the crosshead. As described Iand shown in said patent the grippers are so biased as to tend to return the yoke to the neutral position, ready to be acted on by the other plunger to open the other set of grippers.

The present trip bracket assembly provides long service without breakdown. Even if one of the springs should fail the device will perform adequately to allow some control of when the machine will be taken out of service for repair. If spring 42 or 46 requires replacement the adjustment need not be affected and the unit can be placed back in service in a very short time. Of course failure of spring 3d does require upsetting the adjustment of nut 48 (the dwell period adjustment) which would then require resetting.

From the above it will be appreciated that itis an easy step to omit spring 44 on plunger pin 34. In such a construction the remaining springs would carry a greater load but either spring could be replaced without changing the setting of the dwell adjustment. Therefore, the repair can be performed rapidly and the shut-down time of the machine made quite minor. This form is within the scope of this invention.

Other variations will occur to those skilled in the art and with that in mind this invention is not to he limited by the above description but is to be limited only by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

l. An element of timing apparatus of the type employed in corn cutting machines, comprising, a trip bracket including two generally upright legs giving the bracket a general U shape, a hole bored in one of the legs, a trip plunger slidably mounted in said hole and adapted to project from the hole, a hole in the other of said legs in alignment with the first hole, a rod connected to said plunger and slidably mounted in said hole in said other leg, a pair of guide rods xed in said legs on opposed sides of said plunger and extending between the legs, a pressure plate slidably mounted on both of said guide rods and connected to said plunger, a spring mounted on each of the guide rods and compressed between said other leg and the pressure plate, the force of said springs acting through the plate to urge the plunger outwardly, means on said plunger rod for limiting and adjusting the movement of the plunger under influence of said springs.

2. A trip bracket according to claim 1 including a spring mounted on the plunger rod and compressed between said other leg and said plate to urge the plunger in the same direction the guide rod springs urge the plunger.

3. A trip bracket according to claim l in which the guide rods are threadably mounted in one of said legs to permit ready removal of the guide rods for replacement of the springs mounted thereon.

4. A trip bracket according to claim 1 in which the plunger rod is of smaller diameter than the plunger and is connected to the rear face of the plunger to form a shoulder on the rear face of the plunger, said plate being apertured to receive the plunger rod.

5. A trip bracket according to claim 4 including a spring mounted on said plunger rod and compressed between said one leg and the plate.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

